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I didn't catch the original post and wasn't going to respond as you hadn't posted your own opinion. (Or were you the writer?)
All I can offer is my own experience. I've served on two juries so far and have seen interviews with jurors, probably a similar experience that many have had.
I can identify with the writer, as I was the last holdout on a case once. Sadly, the guy who had held steadfast with me until nearly the end wanted to go home for the weekend and changed his verdict. Then I found myself severely pressured by the entire room of jurors. I did eventually wimp out of what I thought was right , but the penalty went to an insurance agent and not the supposed victim. (If it matters, it was a PI case, a trip and fall, just before the caps came in on punitive damages. The "victim" wanted much more than I thought was reasonable, plus there had been warning signs posted.)
The only thing tilted, IMO, is humanity and interpretation. What one man views as reasonable may not be the same for another. And the woman he refers to may or may not have had a legitimate reason for her verdict. In most cases, we won't know what drove jurors to make the decisions they do.
Yes, sometimes it's screwy, but I sure don't know of a better way. But I like to think that if I was the holdout juror on a case where a human being's life was relying on the jury's decision, I would stand my ground.
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We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess.
Mark Twain
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